Alleged Artist Defaces Franco Tomb During Mass

[alerta digital] man today desecrated the tomb of the former head of the State Francisco Franco in the Valley of the Fallen with red paint. The artist Enrique Tenreiro has painted a dove of peace in what he has called an act of protest. The events took place around eleven in the morning, during the Mass celebrated in the Valley of the Fallen. At that time, Enrique Tenreiro, has approached the tomb of the Caudillo, removed the flowers that were on the tombstone and painted what he described as a dove of peace in red with the phrase "For freedom."

As shown in the video recorded exclusively by the photojournalist Pedro Armestre, the man has been held back and booed by those attending the liturgy before the arrival of the Civil Guard. However, before he made it clear that he did it "for the freedom and reconciliation of Spaniards, so that there is no side defeated." After being rebuked by the visitors of the Basilica, the man has responded: "I am not against the unity of Spain, but Franco killed many people." [He killed a lot of people who needed it.] 

The Civil Guard has carried out the pertinent actions for his identification and the clarification of the fact and has denunciation, the same sources have added.

Terneiro, in a message on Twitter, has described his performance as a "protest action".

This act has occurred in the midst of the debate about the possible transfer of the remains of Franco to the crypt of the Cathedral of Almudena, as his relatives wish, although the Government has shown its willingness to prevent it by understanding that the Cathedral could become a place of exaltation of the Francoism. 

The Government considers that Articles 15 and 16 of the Historical Memory Act, as well as the preamble of the Royal Decree of August 24 for the exhumation of the remains of Francisco Franco, which refer to the non-exaltation of the Franco regime, enable it to prevent the remains of Franco, once exhumed, from being transferred to the Valley of the Fallen, to be buried in the grave that the family has in the crypt of the Almudena.

AMDG